


The True Pacifist

by Dharsi



Series: Tales [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Asriel Dreemurr Lives, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everybody Lives, Female Frisk, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Post-Pacifist Route, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-15 23:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5805415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dharsi/pseuds/Dharsi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Frisk finally reaches the end of her journey through the Underground, she is determined to Save everyone. After all, that's what being a True Pacifist is about, isn't it?<br/>But the truth must finally come out, in its entirety, and Frisk must face her sins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. SAVE

Frisk struggled. Hard. Harder. She couldn't move her body. But no one was holding her down. She was held in place by a power she could not see. Valiantly fighting for her life, she gritted her teeth. The pain was unbearable. Attack after attack, blow after blow, death after death, she could feel her grip on the world slowly slide away. How much longer would Determination allow her to survive? How many times would her Soul refuse before breaking for good?

She looked at her tormentor. He was almost unrecognizable, his body meddled with tech and drawings that looked like they came straight out of his imagination, which they probably did. She knew who he was. Asriel Dreemurr, Prince of the Underground, and apparently her best friend. So much for that. The whole world was ending because of him, and there was nothing she could do. She couldn't reach her Save file. She had already tried. Twice. But even she couldn't hold her ground against six other human Souls.

There had to be a way to stop this. If there was one thing she knew about Asriel, it's that he was not evil. He was too innocent and nice to do anything wrong. So why? Why was he doing this? Didn't he realize the consequences of his actions? Didn't he remember his family? His friends? He was mistaking her for someone else. Someone he loved. That Chara he was talking about… Didn't he love them? After dying to his hands once more, she tried reaching out to him with her Soul.

The response was overwhelming. Instead of feeling his Soul resonate with hers, as would normally happen when she reached out to monsters, she felt a cacophony of dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands, of Souls, all ringing in harmony. The monster Souls Asriel had absorbed. There they were! As she tried reaching out to some of them in particular, she could feel something strange. The Souls weren't really reacting to her. They were merely stuck in their own negative vibes. All of them seemed to be more or less aware that the end was nigh, but they were not willing to fight. They had all given up.

The mental blow was hard to withstand. The monsters' feelings were starting to take their toll on her, bringing her down and making her want to give up and join them. She quickly came to her senses. She couldn't let herself do that. She had to stay determined. She tried reaching out to her friends. She even cried out their names aloud, prompting Asriel to laugh at her demise.

And then, they replied. Frisk could feel the Souls of her friends, lost amidst the rest. They were also in that state of profound depression. She knew that if someone was to remind Asriel of who he was, it would be Toriel and Asgore. So she went looking for them.

**The Lost Souls appeared.**

Asriel was gone. Replaced by the towering figures of his parents. Frisk was standing there, in front of them. Although she could feel that this wasn't her real body, but merely a way for her Soul to express itself, she ran towards Toriel and hugged her tightly. The Lost Soul lowered her head to look at her, her gaze empty, devoid of all expression. "No one will be able to leave again," she spoke calmly. Frisk took her dress with both hands and looked up at the one she had long ago decided to call "Mother". She cried out her name, asked her if she remembered her, told her that she didn't want to fight. Slowly, Toriel was starting to frown, as if something was bothering her. But it was when Frisk told her that she preferred butterscotch over cinnamon that Toriel's gaze suddenly lightened. She blinked several times before hugging back, smiling. Tears were slowly appearing in the corners of her eyes.

"My child, how could I forget you? Thank you for helping me."

Frisk didn't feel like she was able to even speak. She had a lump in her throat. After a few seconds, though, she let go of Toriel and turned to Asgore, whose head was tilted to the side. He was also trying to remember her. She ran over to him, and took out her dagger, looking like she was about to strike him. As he got into a defensive pose, she stopped in front of him and threw her dagger to the side.

"Let's stop fighting! Accept my MERCY!" She shouted, as she hugged him, like she had done for Toriel previously. And soon enough, he remembered. His spear fell from his hands, and he knelt down to be at her level. Placing a hand behind her head, his embrace was genuine and caring. A weak "thank you" escaped from his lips before she wriggled out of his arms and leaped back. She picked up her dagger and smiled at both of them.

"I have to help the others now! I will Save them all!"

As she closed her eyes to try and find more Souls to Save, the last image she had of the Boss Monsters was that of Asgore weeping tears of joy and Toriel hesitantly walking over to him. She smiled.

One by one, she Saved her friends. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys; she reminded everyone of who she was, and reminded them of who they were, too. As she finally came back to her own body, she could see Asriel smirking. He knew what she had been up to. And he had been patiently waiting for her to finish. Why? Was he toying with her?

"Pathetic. You really think this is going to help you. Go on, make friends with everyone. I will just kill you again, and they will forget you again. Understand? There is nothing you can do. This game between us will never end. I will keep you here no matter what."

Frisk gritted her teeth once again. He was right. She was truly stuck. If only she could Save him like she had done with her friends. If only she could make him remember. As a last attempt, she called out to Asriel. Perhaps his Soul was not gone? She had to believe it. For the sake of the whole world, she had to Save Asriel from himself.

Just as she had hoped, a single Soul, lost amidst the sea, resonated with her call. With a gasp of surprise and joy, she reached out to it. It's negative vibes were stronger than that of any other Soul. Frisk knew what monster Souls looked like. They were upside down grey hearts, whereas human Soul were colored and right way up. But this one. It was neither of these. One could say it was both of these. It was upside down, but, unlike every other monster Soul she could see, it was colored. It was red. The same color as her own Soul. Why was it red? She didn't have time to ponder the question. Asriel, feeling her actions, frowned, and tried to stop her, but too no avail. Her Soul was inside the maelstrom now. "What are you doing?" He asked. Too late. She was already on her way to Save him.

**The Lost Soul appeared.**

There he was, sitting down in the empty space, looking at the ground. He was rolled up in a ball, his arms around his knees, his head buried in between them. He also appeared to be sobbing quietly. His appearance saddened Frisk. He looked… Broken. Broken by life. Frisk walked over and sat down next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he slowly raised his head to meet her gaze. His eyes weren't empty like she was expecting. Instead, they seemed to be filled to the brim with darkness and depression. He had the look of a child who had been through too much. Whose life was already ruined. Whose mind was traumatized beyond relief. A look that should never appear on such a young child's face. The emotional pain tore Frisk's heart apart, and she couldn't help but sob as she brought him in a hug.

"It's gonna be ok, Asriel. Don't worry. I love you. They love you. She loves you. It's gonna be ok…"

Her speech was senseless. She was way too moved to be able to produce intelligible sentences, and instead just whispered comforting words as she hugged the kid. After a moment of cuddling, she could feel a tear land on her shoulder. Asriel was crying, too. His arms embraced Frisk as he buried his face in her shoulder. She had gotten over her own intense emotions, and managed to reassure him.

"It's alright Asriel, everything is gonna be fine. Your mother loves you. Do you remember her? Toriel? You're going to see her again. You're going to see them again. We're all going to eat butterscotch-cinnamon pie, together. What's your favorite? Mine is butterscotch." She didn't wait for his response, continuing to remind him of everything she could think of. "Do you remember your father? Yes, Asgore. He is a great guy. He will make some tea to go along with the pie. And then we will finally be happy. We will finally be a family. Come on, Asriel, do you remember?"

During all this time, neither of them made a move. Asriel kept soaking Frisk's shirt, which she didn't mind in any way, while she kept stroking the back of his head, like a mother would do when comforting her child. Even though she had never met him, she felt genuine love for the monster. After a long time, he finally stopped sobbing and slowly raised his head again. He looked at Frisk, and this time, all she could see in his eyes was gratitude and love. He remembered.

"You don't have to reset everything," she added. "You don't need to keep me here to keep playing with me. Look at that," she said, as she put a hand on his chest, making his weird Soul shine softly. "You don't have to be a flower anymore. You can come with me. You can come with us. We will be happy together. We will be a family."

He looked down at his own Soul, which he had thought to be lost a long time ago. An expression of intense awe and hope filled his eyes as he realized what having a Soul implied, and he turned to Frisk, finding the strength to mutter a few raspy words:

"Who are you?"

Frisk smiled as wide as she could, knowing there was only one answer to that question:

"Your best friend."


	2. Broken

Twilight was shining through the barrier. It seemed Frisk's journey was finally over. She was filled with Determination. The young human, her useless weapon lying at her feet, looked up to the otherworldly wall that stretched in front of her. The barrier. Separating the Underground and the Surface. Monsters and Humans. It had been centuries since the last time a monster saw the sun itself. Centuries since Asriel's last adventure. Since Chara's death. The barrier emitted an uncanny aura, making everyone around it uneasy. Its appearance didn't help.

Frisk looked at her feet. Behind her was Asgore's castle, the big stone structure looming high above her head like an impassable wall, telling her that she's not going back. she looked around. she was just standing in what seemed like a natural garden. The heavy smell of buttercups filled the air. The golden flowers were everywhere, invading all the space between the King's castle and the barrier. They could be seen reflecting the sunlight, shining like gold. But the sun itself was nowhere to be seen.

Right underneath Frisk, that landscape abruptly came to an end. The world seemed cut in half by the barrier. There even was a flower that had sprouted too close to the barrier. It was desperately trying to survive in the very limited space it had. The gray, membrane-like wall did not seem keen on moving. White waves would regularly appear in the center before expanding in all directions, as far as the eye could see. Frisk tried touching the barrier. It resisted for a moment, before letting her hand pass through like thin air. Like there was nothing here.

"Only beings with a powerful Soul can leave through the barrier."

Frisk looked to her left, and her eyes met Asriel's. The young monster was standing there. Legs crossed, his dark blue jeans looked a bit too small for him. His striped green and yellow shirt, on the other hand, was too big. This gave him a weird, disproportionate look. The boy's white fur shone brightly in the sunlight, and for a moment, Frisk had the weird impression she had just seen an angel. She smiled. Angels don't have fangs, nor do they have horns for that matter. No, Asriel was not an angel. There was only one thing that came to Frisk's mind when she thought of describing him: goat. The young monster's face looked somewhat like that of a Nubian goat, with two small horns on top of it, and two long, rounded ears, that fell all the way to his chin. Except for the two fangs. They could be seen when he talked or smiled, protruding from his upper jaw. They also were too small to look threatening, and instead, just looked cute. After all, Asriel was still a child.

"That's what the legends say, right?"

With that, he raised a hand and pushed against the barrier, much like Frisk before him. As his short claws came in contact with it, he seemed to shiver for a second. His hand went right through it without meeting any resistance. He retracted it and frowned, shaking it as if to check if it was real. After that, he turned back to Frisk, a smile finally lighting his face, although his dark red eyes revealed the darker feelings that still inhabited him.

"Well, not that it matters anymore. In just a few moments, the barrier will be gone."

Frisk elected to stay silent. She didn't want to rush her new friend, who was still coming back from centuries of imprisonment. Instead, she stood still, hands folded in front of her, looking into his eyes, acting as an emotional anchor for the still fragile heart that was Asriel's. His smile suddenly disappeared as he lowered his gaze. He spent a few seconds gathering his thoughts before speaking.

"But before that, I want to thank you, Frisk. For everything. Without you, I… I would still be…" Losing his words, he stayed speechless for a moment, bringing his hands up to bury his face in them. Frisk did not make a move. She was waiting for him to finish. He took a deep breath before looking up and continuing: "You don't know how hard it was. I had forgotten how it felt to love. I had forgotten my friends, my family, and I…" A veil fell upon his eyes.

Frisk slowly walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. She could feel the deep sorrow of her friend. His broken voice and misty eyes were clear signs. And she knew that kind of sorrow. The kind that would follow him wherever he went, refusing to let go. The kind that would slowly grow to swallow him whole. She knew it, for she had experienced it herself. She was still experiencing it. The pain that comes from knowing your own actions and their consequences. The feeling of your sins crawling on your back. She knew that feeling. And she knew, above all, that she couldn't let it take its toll on the monster. She needed to heal Asriel's broken heart before the wound got too deep.

"Hey, stop worrying about that. It wasn't your fault," she said, gently shaking her friend's shoulder. "You didn't choose to lose your Soul. You were trapped. It wasn't you who did all this, it was Flowey. Asriel, listen to me." Asriel looked up and met Frisk's gaze. He could feel his friend's iron will through her eyes.

"Now, we're going to move on. To move forward. It's going to be hard putting all of that behind you. I know you're angry at yourself. I know you regret what happened. But trust me, you need to forget about it. No one will hold you responsible, for you aren't. Your hear me? You are not responsible for what happened. You might think you're the villain of the story, when in reality you are the victim. But that story is over. It was all just a bad dream, Asriel. Now you woke up, and you get to move on. If you keep worrying about it, I'll ask Undyne to beat it out of you, alright?"

Though her last sentence sounded like a threat, her disarming smile expressed her true feelings: relief, happiness, love. The warmth and light that shone out of her eyes was exactly what Asriel needed. It would take a long time for him to get over his angst and free himself from his past, but Frisk knew that the love he was about to receive from everyone would help time heal up his wound. He got up, and his expression changed drastically. His hesitant smile disappeared, his eyes lost their hopeful look, and he looked more determined than ever.

"Alright, Frisk. I'll do my best," he said, as he raised his chin to look at the center of the barrier. "Time to move on."

Fists clenched, he closed his eyes and focused. Frisk felt a wave of incredible power sweep past her, and she stepped back, not out of fear, but out of a primal safety instinct. Asriel's body slowly lifted off the ground and rose a few feet into the air, his legs hanging from his upper body, and, as he raised his arms, six heart-shaped, colored Souls appeared around him, turning in a circle around his waist. Blue, aqua, orange, purple, yellow and green were their colors.

Frisk wondered for a moment who they used to belong to. Six other children had fallen down in the Underground between Chara and her. They all seem to have perished at the hands of the monsters. Frisk felt a brief sadness for them, as they had never experienced the Underground the way she had. She knew that, without Determination, she would never have made it, and wondered for a moment if the other children also had enough Determination to Save and Reset like she can. It dawned on her that they didn't, since not a single one of them would have died if that had been the case. She felt a shiver go up her spine as she realized that she was herself incredibly lucky to have been gifted the ability to Save through Determination. If not for that, she would have been just a seventh and final Soul for Asgore.

Trying not to think too hard about what could have been, she decided to focus on what actually was, and look at Asriel. The monster was hovering in the middle of the room, arms raised, eyes closed, his white fur seemed to glow brighter and brighter every passing moment, and the picture of the angel came to Frisk's mind again. It was strange seeing such an incredible power emanating from such a young child. She felt a new form of respect for Asriel, who, just like her, had been through so much despite his young age. She noticed how close their respective stories sounded. Both of them had gone through death, both of them had made friends with everyone, both of them had seen horrors beyond comprehension, and both of them… Well, everyone makes mistakes.

Her mind once again refused to venture deeper, and she focused on the matter at hand. After a few seconds, along side the six colored Souls, a sea of gray Souls started flowing out of Asriel. The monsters. All of them. All of their Souls, united as a single weapon. A weapon that was going to break the barrier.

_Alphys said it would take the power of nearly every Soul in the underground just to equal the power of a single human Soul. More or less. Guess we'll see that in action,_ Frisk thought. Breaking the barrier required an incredible amount of power. The equivalent of seven human Souls. Asriel currently had six, plus countless monster Souls. _This should do,_ she thought, more in order to convince herself than anything else.

Putting an end to Frisk's theorizing, Asriel suddenly raised his right arm in the air, before pointing it at the barrier, which was reacting to the Souls, its white waves gaining speed and appearing more and more frequently. It reached a point where, instead of there being a single wave every other second, they would be so close together that the wall seemed more white than gray. Just like a bomb ready to explode, the frequency got so high that all you could see was white. The barrier was going to shatter any second now.  
Any second now.  
It didn't shatter.  
Frisk was confused and panicked. If their plan didn't work, monsters would remain trapped underground. She was about to call out to her friend when she heard his voice, painfully loud:

"Frisk! I don't have enough power! I can't… BREAK IT!"

Just as she feared, there weren't enough monster Souls for them to equal a seventh human Soul. Asriel needed a bit more power. But he already had the six human Souls, and all the monsters' Souls. There was only one vessel around that still held a Soul. And it wasn't long before both of them came to the same conclusion. Just as she put a hand over her chest in hesitation, Frisk felt a sudden immaterial force in her chest, tugging at her Soul. At the same time, she once again heard Asriel calling her:

"Frisk, I need your help! Please! Lend me your Soul!" He shouted.

Frisk hesitated. She could see that without her Soul, the barrier would not be broken. But she was also fearful. Giving one's Soul was not a mundane act. Frisk knew that if she accepted, Asriel would be in full control for as long as he decided, as she wouldn't be able to free herself from his grasp. she couldn't help but worry: what if Asriel wasn't completely healed? What if, intoxicated by the power at his disposition, he decided to use it for selfish purposes? Was the darkness in his heart truly gone, or had he been corrupted beyond redemption?

She wanted to trust him, but the more rational part of her mind was holding her back, pushing her to think this through before doing anything. As long as her Soul was hers, Frisk could hold up to Asriel. Determination would allow her to survive. She had gone through death at his hands a lot of times already. But the moment Asriel got a hold of her Soul, it would be up to him to decide the future of this world. She put a hand on her chest, and looked at Asriel, wary. He was reaching out a hand towards, her, smiling gently, but his eyebrows were frowning a little, betraying the urgency of the situation. His eyes were wide open, and looking at Frisk.

She gasped. He had not opened his eyes since he had starting channeling the Souls' power to destroy the barrier, so she couldn't have noticed before, but they had changed color. The usual dark red was replaced by a myriad of shifting shades. It seemed an entire rainbow was rolling around his large irises. The sight was truly amazing. Everything around Frisk made her feel like she was part of a fairy tale: the new appearance Asriel had taken on, the strange glowing white wall, the orange sunlight, the bed of bright golden flowers, everything. If there was one sight she would remember from her journey, she instantly knew it was going to be this one. Asriel realized that she was fearing him, and his smile got tainted with sadness as he spoke.

"I know what you're thinking. That is why I didn't want to ask for your Soul. I knew you would worry. And I can't blame you. I can only blame myself. After all, I was the one to bring it upon me."  
He lowered his head in shame. There was a silence, only broken by the sound of the barrier.  
"See? I was right. You told me that no one would hold me responsible, but, unconsciously, you do. You can't help but wonder: "What if he is still evil inside?" Those words of yours, did they mean anything? Do you truly forgive me? Do you really want me as your friend? Do you sincerely think I deserve a second chance? Or was it just an attempt to cheer me up? Frisk, please. If you told me the truth earlier, you need to trust me on this one."  
Another silence. Tears started appearing in the corners of Asriel's eyes.  
"Frisk, I'm begging you!"

The human closed her eyes. The choice looked hers, but was it really? She truly didn't feel like there was much of a choice to make. She knew, deep inside her, that her friend was right. She had already made her choice, a long time ago. She had chosen to trust him, no matter what had happened before. She removed her hand from her chest, smiling, and let her Soul get drawn out of her by the mental whirlwind that was Asriel. The familiar red heart appeared in front of her, pulsating in unison with all the others. At the last moment, before finally letting go, she took the time to whisper a question to the stars:

"Be good, alright?"  
The answer was not long to come.  
"I will."  
And then her world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Reunited

"Frisk? Frisk, wake up! We did it!"

The distant sound awoke the human's foggy consciousness. Before opening her eyes, she realized two things: the noticeable freshness of the air around her, which reminded her of how opening a window on a windy night would feel like. The gust of air that could only be felt when you had stayed inside for too long. This led her to her second realization: the silence. The background buzzing noise was gone, sign that the barrier had been destroyed. She felt a bit sore, like she had just exercised a little too much for her own good.

She could faintly remember what had happened during the time her Soul was away from her body. Confused feelings and emotions, and an unfathomable amount of power. Then suddenly, nothing. And now, she was waking up here, lying on the buttercups. She opened her eyes in a whim and raised her head. The sudden unexpected movement startled Asriel, who was leaning over Frisk's body, and he fell back as a result of losing his balance. He landed heavily on the ground, and sat up, a huge smile on his face, looking at his friend.

"We did it Frisk! The barrier's gone!"

Slowly coming to a sitting position, the human stretched and looked around. The landscape had changed so much it was barely recognizable. She could see the abrupt end of the garden, clearly showing where the barrier used to stand. Beyond that, Frisk could see a rocky path leading upwards, towards the sunlight. It was weird seeing the sun again after spending so much time in the Underground. She felt like she was finally awaking from a bad dream. Or a good dream. She still couldn't really decide. She would have to go with good.

Frisk turned to her friend, smiling back at him, but not finding any words to put on the situation at hand. Sometimes words just aren't powerful enough to give a proper description. Such as a description of the smile that shone, even brighter than the sun, on her friend's face. She didn't even try to say anything. Instead she threw her arms and hugged Asriel, transmitting through that embrace the emotion that words couldn't properly describe.

Burying her face in the monster's shoulder, she could feel him doing the same. She thought about the time she had spent in the Underground, trying her hardest to do her best, to free everyone. She thought about the trials, the friendships, the stories, the emotions. She thought about her adventure, and tears came up to her eyes. Finally, after so many challenges, she was going to be free. They were going to be free. The burden that she carried throughout her journey was finally gone, and the emotional relief that came with it's disappearance was hard to withstand.

She started slowly sobbing, spasms rhythmically going through her chest, and Asriel only tightened his embrace, rubbing the human's back in an attempt to comfort her. He wasn't crying anymore, as the joy in his heart was way too strong to let him. He nonetheless stayed silent, letting Frisk use him as an anchor just as she had done with him just moments ago. Although they barely knew each other, the experience they had lived together was already forming strong bonds between the two. Frisk's resemblance with Chara, Asriel's deceased sibling, also helped. After spending a few moments locked together, they finally parted, and Frisk finally found the strength to utter a few words:

"We truly did it."

The realization was slowly dawning upon her. She was starting to grasp what it all meant. During all this time she had spent in the Underground, resetting the timeline over and over again in an attempt to free them, she had slowly begun to forget her other life. The one she had on the Surface. She realized that she had come to enjoy her life in the land of monsters. She had begun to think of the monsters as her family, friends, as people, just as human, if not more, than those who wear that name. But now, as much as she had been enjoying everything, it was time for her journey to end. The monsters were about to leave the Underground. They were going to go back. Back to the Surface.

But she knew how the humans' world worked, for she had lived in it since her very birth. She knew this world, although, as intelligent as she was, she had never learned truly how it worked. How to live in it. Alongside her own species. She knew more about the Underground than the Surface. And for all she knew about it, it was much more complicated than here. Much bigger as well. They'd have to adapt to a whole new way of life. This was going to be hard. Frisk sighed, realizing that her mission might have been a failure from the very start. Was this supposed to be Flowey's happy ending?

Sure, it was better than leaving the monsters behind, but still. She had hoped for a little more. She had hoped her struggles would be over. How foolish of her. This was only the beginning of another journey. A journey she wasn't sure she wanted to accomplish. Lowering her head in angst, she threw a sideways glance at Asriel, who was still waiting for her to come out. His care for her reminded her of Toriel, and her heart felt like it was about to explode as she thought of her mother, and how happy she would be to finally see her son again.

It was at this instant that she made her promise. She promised herself she would keep going, not matter the struggles or the hardships she would have to face. For they deserved it. They deserved to live happily ever after, like all the good guys. in the books she used to read. Yes, that's what she wanted for everyone. That promise she silently whispered to the wind, it filled her with determination, and her face broke into a smile as a familiar yellow sparkle appeared right at the edge of her field of view. She turned to look at it, more sure of herself than she had ever been. There it was. A small start-shaped light, right in the middle of the bed of flowers. Her Save.

She had been wondering if breaking the barrier would remove her ability to Save. Apparently, it hadn't. Which was for the best. But before she could make a move, she heard a gasp, and turned around. His right hand hiding his mouth, and his other hand stretched out as in a vain attempt to capture the light, Asriel's red eyes were wide open in disbelief and shock. He was staring right at the Save point, which surprised Frisk, since no one was normally able to see them except for her. But as she thought about it, it did make sense. After all, Asriel had at one point been Flowey. A being injected with pure Determination. He had had the ability to Save before she took it from him. So he would know all about Save points. The fact that he could still see them didn't have any logic backing it up, but it wasn't surprising either. Frisk looked at him, smiling:

"So you can see them too," she simply said.  
Asriel was slow to respond: "Yes… I think. Is this a Save?"  
"It is. I'm glad I can still do that. It's going to be helpful."

With these words, she walked over to the spinning star and crouched. She looked at it for a second, taking a deep breath as she Saved, for the first time since the breaking of the barrier. There. Now her journey was completely over. Anchored in the timeline, it would never be reset again. She sat down in the grass, savoring the sweet moment, relishing in the present. She felt him sit down beside her, and did not even react in the slightest.  
They stared blankly into the distance for a moment, thinking about how far they'd come, and how far they still had to go. After a brief moment, Frisk suddenly stood up, stretched her legs, seeming to burn with the desire to move forward. She put both hands on her hips, and faced Asriel.

"Alright, we need to do something. In just a few moments, everyone will wake up and come here. They will see the broken barrier, and they will see us. We will all move on to a different world." She looked up at the tunnel's end, pausing for a moment, fists clenched. "This is the beginning of a new era for monsters. An era of love and peace. Or of hatred and war. We must make sure it becomes the former. And our job starts now. I will go back to the castle and greet everyone as they wake up. I think it would be best if I told them the whole story before they saw you. Or else their hearts are not going to be able to support it, I bet."  
"But… I'm eager to see them, too!" Asriel interjected, somewhat reluctant.  
"And you will. But trust me, the reunion is going to be even better with some buildup," she replied, winking.  
Asriel gave up with a sigh and a smile, followed by a low "Alright", and she reached her hand out to help him up. The soft fur of his fingers was strange to the touch. It was like he was wearing gloves. As he stood to his feet, he kept his hand in Frisk's. The motion quickly turned into somewhat of an official handshake. They looked in each others eyes for a long moment, finding in one another the support they needed. 

"We'll do this together."  
With that, Frisk turned around and walked towards the castle.

 

Entering the building through the backdoor, Frisk arrived in the antechamber linking the king's throne room to the backyard she was just in. The room was somewhat dark and would have been creepy if it hadn't been for the beam of sunlight that was pouring down a hole in the rocky ceiling. It gave the chamber a mysterious, fantastic look. The spot of sunlight on the ground looked as refreshing as an oasis in the desert.

In that spot, just as expected, stood six familiar silhouettes. Those of her close friends, friends she had met during her journey. All of them were gathered here. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore. They were all safe and sound, chattering between themselves, obviously preoccupied by the events. Papyrus's voice was loud enough to make out the words, but Frisk didn't bother listening. He was making wide, over-the-top gestures, as always. His brother Sans, hand in the pockets of his hoodie, was smiling wide. His eyes, or rather the white lights that he used to indicate where he was looking, were directed straight at Frisk. As always, perceiving as he was, he had noticed her. She smiled, not nearly as widely as him, and put a finger on her mouth, asking him not to say anything. He winked quickly in return.

Undyne was tapping her foot on the ground, arms crossed, clearly impatient and worried, while Alphys was seemingly trying to calm her down. Frisk briefly wondered what it must have been like for them. How did it feel, having their Souls absorbed by Asriel? Did they feel the same confused feelings she had felt, too? Do they remember anything? Frisk knew that she remembered. The way the barrier shattered, the sound it made, even though she could not possibly see or hear at the time. Surely she must have seen and heard it through Asriel's eyes and ears. she even remembered being conscious and willingly adding her power, her Determination, to everyone else's. Did they feel the same?

Too focused on their own conversation, they didn't notice her entering the room. Smiling to herself, she kept observing them for a moment, before clearing her throat loudly in order to get their attention.

Instantly getting the cue, all of them turned to face the newcomer, and a collective sigh of relief echoed in the antechamber. Their eyes were like fireflies, shining with joy. Their smiles were the fuel that Frisk knew would keep her going. They stayed put for a moment, before Toriel broke the circle to run at Frisk and pull her in a tight hug. She smelled, as always, of sugary treats, and this reassuring smell allowed the human to unwind a bit, as she returned the hug for a moment, feeling the delicate fabric of her purple dress and the soft fur of her cheek, before breaking the embrace. The presence of her adoptive mother next to her made her feel whole again. The monster couldn't help but worry, and her eyes were wide open in angst. Frisk noticed that she had the exact same eye color as Asriel: A dark, non-threatening red.

"My child, what happened to you? Are you hurt?" She replied, the frantic love of a mother resonating in her voice. The love that never failed to melt Frisk's heart.  
"Don't worry, mom, I'm fine. Everything is alright."  
"Thank goodness you are alive! I was so worried for you, my child," she sighed, as she reached a hand out towards Frisk.  
The young human took her hand and walked back to where their friends were gathered. They had respectfully decided to let Toriel have her moment. All their familiar smiles warmed Frisk's heart once again, although she felt a bit uncomfortable knowing what was coming. At a loss for words, she couldn't manage to utter more than a simple "Hey everyone."

A simple sentence, clashing with the importance of the situation. It was like a long awaited reunion, except it only had been a few moments. Maybe a few hours at most. Sans was the one to reply first:

"heya frisk. we've been worried for you. so much that papyrus actually started crying like a babybones. next time please come back faster, or i think he's gonna have trouble getting over it, alright?" He said, walking towards the human and placing an arm around her shoulders. Frisk couldn't help but laugh.  
"ME, CRYING? NO WAY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NEVER CRIES! I JUST, CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE." Papyrus announced, defending his honor.  
"what did you catch?"  
"TEARS!"

Sans snickered as he let go of Frisk, allowing Undyne to instantly pick her up like she weighed nothing. She shook her forcefully while nearly shouting in her face:  
"Frisk! Don't you DARE do something like that again! I was worried SICK! Warn me next time, OK, punk?"  
"O-O-OK Und-d-dyne y-you ca-an p-put me d-d-down now!" Frisk shouted in response. Motion and emotion mixed together made her want to throw up. Alphys put a hand on Undyne's arm, prompting her attention, and the warrior reluctantly put Frisk back down on the ground. Frisk took a moment to regain her composure, before raising her head to meet everybody's gaze.  
"Alright, there are a few things I need to tell you all…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story!  
> Chapter 4 is ready to post, but I will hold on to it for a few days, because I still haven't even started writing Chapter 5, so I need time to actually work on that, don't wanna make my uploading schedule too irregular. So, see ya on Friday, hopefully!  
> If you have any feedback to give me, I'll gladly take any criticism^^


	4. The Whole Story

"I'm going to start from the beginning."  
Seven people could be seen in the antechamber, seating on the very ground, in a circle. Six monsters and a human. Frisk had warned them that her story was going to be a bit long, and that they ought to sit down and take the time to listen closely. And so they did.

"So, you remember that flower from earlier right? Right before everything went white." Toriel and Asgore nodded.  
"Well, his name is Flowey, and let's just say he's not the greatest guy. He was created as an experiment Alphys was conducting on the nature of the Soul. She had been tasked by Asgore to try and see if there was a way to break the barrier without human Souls, since he didn't expect any human to come to the Underground. During her studies, she noticed that all human Souls shared a trait that monster Souls don't have: a high quantity of a substance she would decide to call Determination.

She described it as the will to keep living, the resolve to change fate, it seemed to be exclusive to humans, and she conjectured that it was the trait that allowed human Souls to persist after death, even for a long time. Naturally, she tried to extract it from the Souls she was experimenting on to inject it in monster Souls, trying to allow them to keep living after their host's death."  
Frisk noticed Alphys's troubled look, and she realized she was making the pain even worse for the poor monster. She felt bad for her, and everything she had to go through. "I'm sorry if that's a little hard to face, Alphys, but they need to know the truth."

The scientist was hiding her face in her palms, ashamed and embarrassed to have the truth revealed in front of her friends. She nonetheless mumbled a shy "Go on…", which prompted Frisk to continue her narration:

"She wanted to see if Determination would allow their Souls to persist. Long story short, it didn't. It kind of worked, as they managed to keep going, but uh… I'm not going to go into detail right now, because it's not the point. Anyway, seeing that her experiment had failed, she tried one last thing: injecting Determination into a Soulless being. Monsters didn't seem to be able to withstand the high concentrations of Determination, but what about a lifeless being? For that experiment, she chose the first golden flower that sprouted after… well..." She chose not to refer to the event that had made the flower sprout in the first place, but Toriel's closed eyes and Asgore's empty gaze clearly showed that they knew what she was talking about.  
"This time the experiment worked. Kind of. The flower did come to life, as expected, but it still held no Soul, and was thus unable to feel emotions, at all."

She wondered for a moment if she should tell them about timelines and Save, but ultimately decided against it, as it would raise too many questions she did not want to face. She did not want to admit that she had gone through the Underground several times, and most of all, that she lowered herself to toying with them, doing everything she could think of just to see how they would react, just like scripted NPC's in a video game. She was still haunted by guilt, and decided it was not the time to tell them all about what she had done. She could still feel her sins weighing her down, and she knew she would never be able to atone for them. Just like Alphys, she knew she would eventually have to reveal everything, but there were other matters at hand. Besides, how could they keep trusting her if she confessed that? She knew she wouldn't, if she was on the other end of the spectrum. Confessing everything was going to be difficult. She kept going, avoiding the sensitive subject:

"He named himself Flowey. Very original, I know. You might have already met him a long time ago. But his lack of emotions. Wandering around, having nothing to do, he quickly grew bored of the Underground. His lack of emotions made his existence into somewhat of a torture. Wanting to get rid of this pain, but unable to end himself for reasons I will not reveal, he conceived a plan: stealing Asgore's six human Souls in order to use their power to get mine, becoming godlike and pretty much destroying everything. Needless to say, his plan didn't quite work out. We thwarted it. Yes, we. You and I."

"You see, when Flowey absorbed everyone's Soul, and siphoned all the Souls of the Underground, he had enough power to temporarily make a new body for himself, since a flower wasn't really practical to live in. And he recreated the body he used to have, before his life as a flower."  
Alphys frowned, confused, while the others raised their eyebrows, except Papyrus, who didn't even seem to understand exactly what Frisk was talking about, and Sans, who simply didn't react, as usual. Frisk realized she had gone too fast in her narration, and stopped to clear up a point:  
"Because, as strange as it may seem, Flowey had not always been a flower. Alphys, if you had injected Determination into any normal flower, it would most likely not have had any effect at all. The only reason why Flowey came to life is because, combined with the Determination, was the essence of a monster. The mind of a monster. The dust of a monster."

Out of her six friends, only two realized who she was talking about. Toriel gasped loudly and put both hands on her mouth as her eyes started to water, and Sans's expression finally changed, his signature smile faltering just a bit, and he leaned forward, more serious than he had ever been. Well, except for that time. Frisk kept going, not wanting to let any of them talk before her (récit) was over:

"That monster whose dust had spread over the garden, whose dust had probably helped the buttercups sprout. It was Asriel."  
She looked at Toriel and Asgore. Both of them were in utter shock, their gazes lost in the darkness. They were staring into the abyss. Toriel was seating to Frisk's right, and so the human put a hand on her shoulder, prompting the monster to turn to her. She held her gaze for a moment, whispering a soft "Be strong" before continuing her story:

"His consciousness had transferred into Flowey. But not his Soul. And although he was unable to feel anything, he could still remember his life. So when he finally got the power he was craving for, he recreated his own body. He still wanted to carry on with his plan and end the times. But I did not let him. Maybe you can remember what happened next. I reached out to your Souls, which he had absorbed. You had almost forgotten about me. You didn't recognize me. But I made you remember. Do you remember all that?"

Toriel nodded, still too shocked to be intelligible. Frisk's heart broke when she heard the soft and raspy "Why?" that came out of her mouth.  
"I remember," Asgore said. "I tried to attack you. I am sorry, Frisk."  
She smiled to him: "Do not be. It was not your fault."  
But his troubled look did not lie. His demons were still haunting him. And God knew how long it would take for him to get rid of them.

"As I kept reaching out to every lost Soul I could find, I stumbled upon a strange one. You all know what monster Souls look like. Gray, upside down hearts. And you've all seen my Soul."  
As she mentioned it, she made her Soul appear in front of her. She had learned to do that by herself after feeling monsters do it to her so many times. The bright heart was faintly resonating, which brought a smile to her lips.

"Colored, right side up. Mine is red, others might be all kind of colors. Well, while reaching into the maelstrom of Souls, I found one that was red, just like mine. For a moment I wondered how it got there. I hadn't seen any red Soul other than my own. But I realized it was upside down, like yours."  
She smiled to her friends, knowing that the revelation was near. Her Soul was still floating in her hands, and it started to shine more brightly as she called out to him. She knew his Soul would resonate with hers, giving him the signal he was waiting for.

"It looked like a mix of monster and human Souls. When I reached out to it, I realized that it was exactly that. It belonged to a monster that had absorbed a human Soul and fused it with his own, allowing it to persist after his own death. Unfortunately, without a body to live in, it disappeared from sight, existing out of our reach."  
At this point, Sans's smile was back in action, and the Dreemurrs were wide-eyed, having perfectly understood who she was talking about. They were smiling with wild hope, refusing to believe what they were starting to understand. Alphys and Undyne had stopped moving altogether, and even Papyrus was starting to grasp what was happening. Frisk's nose was itching, she knew she was about to cry. She turned to Toriel, putting her small hands on the monster's large ones.

"It was Asriel's Soul, meddled with Chara's, the first human. I saw him, Mom. He was there, more lost than any of the other lost Souls. But he was there. And I helped him, just like I helped everyone else. He is such a sweetheart. After such a long time, he remembers everything. And he is sorry. It was him who broke the barrier, using the power of all the Souls he had gathered. And now he is back. Do you understand? His Soul is back, he is alive again. And he is with us at this very moment."  
Tears were starting to roll down Toriel's cheeks, and her smile faltered a little bit as she frowned and turned to look around the room. Her gaze landed on him as he stepped into the sunlight, smiling brightly, arms wide open.  
"Howdy, Mom."

**-**

A gust of wind swept through the evening air, rustling Frisk's hair and Toriel's fur. The monster was lovingly looking at the young girl, Their faces enlightened by the greatest spotlight of all. Everyone was gathered here, looking at the setting Sun as they discovered it for the first time in their life. The orange light filled the sky and made the Dreemurrs' fur shine in a whole new manner. Her friends' reaction had once again reminded Frisk of why she worked hard to get them all here. From Undyne's joyful "The air is so fresh, and the sunlight is so nice" to Sans's ironic "buddy, if i knew that's what you were keeping from us, i'd have had a bone to pick with you from the start", Frisk felt truly happy.

They were all gathered here, even the one she thought could not be saved. Asriel was standing in between his parents, each of his hands holding one of theirs, his eyes filled with pure awe. All three of them were beaming. Frisk was happy to see that, even though Toriel had still not forgiven Asgore for his decision, they could put that aside and be happy, finally reunited with their child. But as the magic slowly started to dissipate, they were all coming to think of the same thing: "What next?"

Indeed, even though they had gotten free from the Underground, the world was not going to change in the blink of an eye. There was still a ton of work left. The greatest challenge was still ahead of them. The challenge Frisk and Asriel had decided to step up to. It was going to be hard. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have anywhere to sleep, as the Sun was already setting down. They decided they would have to spend the night in Asgore's castle, which was not going to be of any use anymore. There were enough rooms for all of them.

As they were settling on this decision and somewhat reluctantly walked back to the Undergound, Toriel let go of her son's hand and turned towards Frisk, crouching a little to bring herself to the young human's level. She put both hands on Frisk's shoulders, and the light weight made the human feel secure and at ease, just like the feeling of having a blanket over one's body. But Toriel was troubled. It was very clear that she had something important to say:  
"Frisk, you come from this world, right? Surely you have somewhere to go, someplace to return to. A home. A… Family. I understand if you want to leave us and go back to them. You still have my phone number, so we can stay in touch if it is your wish. Do you want us to part ways?" She asked, forcing a smile.  
It was clear that she did not want Frisk to leave, but that she felt as though she had to give her the possibility.

Frisk, surprised and bewildered, opened her mouth in surprise. She did have a family. A biological family, waiting for her. She knew they weren't too far: she recognized the landscape. After all, the Underground wasn't that big. She remembered her old family, her childhood. Though she did not remember them fondly. Truth be told, she had never had a happy life before falling down the mountain. Her family was all but loving. She remembered the mistreatments, the hate, the feeling of not belonging anywhere. She had often felt like she wasn't supposed to be alive. Of course, why would she have been born if no one wanted her, not even her own parents? Ultimately, they were the ones that motivated her to climb Mt. Ebott in the first place. She knew of the legend, of course, but, in a spite of anger and distress, she had decided to run away from her home and climb it anyway, unsure if she was trying to flee or end her own life.

Now, thanks to this bold action, she had lived a great adventure, made a lot of friends, and discovered a whole new world. Not only that, but she did also obtain something she had always been lacking: a true family. A loving one. A real one. The love Toriel had offered her, she had never felt it before, and hadn't realized how much she missed it, hadn't realized how good it felt to belong somewhere, to know that someone loved you. That is when she understood that "family" was more than a biological bond. Her shocked expression turned into a smile, and she raised her head to meet Toriel's gaze, before hugging her forcefully.

She rubbed her hands along her mother's back, burying her head in the monster's shoulder, smelling once again the sweet, reassuring scent. Her tears soaked the purple dress, and they stayed put for a long moment, until Frisk felt another pair of arms, way smaller, hugging her from behind. Asriel's ear landed on her head like a strange hat. When Asgore knelt down next to them, unsure of how Toriel would react were he to hug them all, she turned her head to him, and her gaze hardened. She had not forgiven him. She did not need to speak for him to understand. But as she softened her eyes and smiled softly at him, he realized there was still hope. It was when she felt his embrace that Frisk finally opened her mouth to make her choice:

"What family? I'm already with my family."


	5. A Bad Time

Frisk awoke on the bed of golden flowers, once again. She opened her eyes and looked around. Everything seemed fine. The barrier was absent, Asriel was sitting in the middle of the garden, legs stretched, leaning back, using his hands to support himself. Why was she here? Didn't she…? Something was off, but she didn't know what. She couldn't remember exactly how she got there, but she did not take the time to question that fact. Asriel turned to Frisk and smiled, before speaking up:

"Alright Frisk, let's go meet everyone!"

He got on his knees, then stood up completely, stretching his arms and letting out a little high-pitched yawn, before letting his arms flop down. With a grin, he suddenly shot towards the door to the antechamber, before laughing:

"Last one at the door is a coward!"

Frisk shook her head, raising the left corner of her mouth in a smile, but she still followed suit, trying to catch up to him before he got too far. Her laugh joined his, and, for a moment, Frisk felt like a normal child again. Despite trying her best, he was simply faster than her, and she could not catch up to him. As he turned around the corner to run towards their friends, Frisk allowed herself to slow down a little, knowing she had lost.

Before she could even rejoin him, she heard a loud gasp. Asriel. What happened? Her heart started racing. He sounded panicked, horrified. What could have possibly happened? There was no threat here. Nothing bad could happen now? They had reached the "happy ending", as Flowey had called it. She ran as fast as she could, her vision focused on the door. As she arrived in the antechamber, besides Asriel, she opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but stopped dead in her tracks.

As her mind came to understand the sight that was laid out before her, she felt a certain cold on her forehead. The physical effect of pure horror. Her eyes opened wide, and she took a shy step backwards with her right foot, instinctively lifting her left arm as to protect herself. Asriel fell on his knees, hands shaking, head lowered.

There was nothing really special in front of them.  
Just six piles of dust.

Frisk's entire body was shaking. She did not make a single move, shocked and traumatized as she was. She was just staring at the remains of her friends, killed while she was away. Their clothes were still here. Toriel's dress, Undyne's shirt, Alphys's coat, Asgore's cape, Papyrus's scarf, and Sans's hoodie. The sight was too painful to withstand.

She felt something of her hands and brought them immediately in front of her in order to take a look. Small white particles were raining from her hands, falling down to the ground. Dust. Her hands were covered in dust. She reacted the only way she could. Screaming at the top of her lungs. Screaming felt good. It felt as though she was getting rid of her fear, her horror. So she kept going, trapped in a circle of regret and horror.

When she finally ran out of air to expel, she fell down on her knees, exhausted. Burying her face in her palm, she could feel the dust of her friends, as if she was hugging it, as if she was apologizing to them for her sins.

"What… What did you do?" Asriel blurted out in a raspy voice. He darted his dark red eyes on her, and she raised her head to meet his gaze. All the fire of the world could be seen, burning fiercely in his irises, ready to consume her.

She did not find the strength to respond, as she stared at him in fear. The boy got up, slowly, trembling, and walked towards her, arms hanging low like a zombie, all the while repeating the same question:

"What did you do to them? What did you DO TO THEM?"

As she looked at him, she felt something crawling up her spine. His face was changing. Twisting. It looked like he was slowly dying. His mouth opened in a smile wider than she thought he could manage to do. His fur seemed like it was melting, his long ears disappearing completely, melting with the rest of his face. It was not only his fur, but also his flesh. Frisk's mouth was opened wide. She was horrified beyond words.

All the while, he was smiling, and his eyes were staring right into Frisk's. But they also started dissolving, along with the rest of him. What was happening to him? She could start to see bones, under his flesh. Bones? Monsters don't have bones. They're made of magic. Well, except… She felt another chill crawling down her spine, right as she heard a familiar laugh:

"heh heh heh heh…"

Asriel's eyesockets were now empty, and in the left one, she could see a bright blue light, shining vividly. Sans was laughing, louder and louder, as he raised a now bony hand and pointed it at her. His laugh turned from normal to cynical, then maniacal, and finally crazy. It was worse than hearing Flowey sing.

She felt her body raise in the air as a blue aura appeared around his hand. He made her levitate towards him, before abruptly stopping his mad laughter. His eyesockets went empty, and she heard a cavernous voice:

"you're going to have a bad time."

\----

Frisk sat up with a gasp. She was sweating bullets, and her breathing was frantic. She instantly put a hand on her chest, too traumatized by what had just happened to register the world around her. Nothing could be heard, apart from the sound of her short breaths. As she slowly calmed down, she finally took a look around.

She was in a double-sized bed, sheets covering her body. Turning her head to the right, she saw her brother, sleeping soundly, mouth open. He was not drooling, but almost. She stared at him for a long moment, relieved. This had all just been a bad dream. Feeling too warm for her comfort under the heavy sheets, she silently got out of them, putting both feet on the (parquet).

She got up and tiptoed out of their room, using the faint light that shone from under the door to guide herself. It creaked loudly as she opened it, and she flinched a little. Thankfully, Asriel seemed to still be asleep. Was he really that hard to wake up? She smiled softly, letting her amusement calm her down, before closing the door.

Her eyes were still adapting to the bright light that shone in Asgore's house. For some reason, the lights were on, in the middle of the night. Or was it the middle of the night? She had gone to bed really early the previous day. Had she really slept that much? Wondering what was happening, she slowly walked towards the living room.

The house was silent, which meant that her parents and the others were still asleep. So why the lights? As she entered the living room, she understood why. Someone was seating in the reading chair Toriel used to use, head lifted towards the ceiling. She felt a weird sansation. Of all the people, did it have to be him? Perceptive as always, Sans turned his head to meet her gaze.

Nothing was said, and the silence lead to a heavy atmosphere. Both of them stayed put for a while, looking at each other, not willing to say the first word. After a good moment, Sans finally moved. He put both hands behind his head, in his hood, and crossed his short legs.

"heya," he said nonchalantly, avoiding Frisk's gaze.

"Oh, hey Sans. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" She asked.

The skeleton finally turned his eyes towards the human. "sitting on this chair. it's really comfy. you?"

Frisk did not know if it was his laid back attitude, or his underlying brilliance and intelligence that made her comfortable telling Sans some things she probably shouldn't be telling anyone else, but the skeleton's reassuring presence pushed Frisk to say what was on her mind:  
"I had a nightmare."

"ow, that's never good. i prefer nightstallions," he replied, chuckling to his own bad pun.

"Sans, please."

"come on, you're smiling. what's better than a good laugh to forget the bad times?" He said, shrugging.  
Frisk couldn't help but shiver. When would he stop saying things that reminded her of… that? Even though it seemed accidental, she wondered if Sans wasn't doing this on purpose. After all, he had proven to be really perceptive. Frisk's eyes narrowed against her will. Did he know? Could he know? How much did he know? She was becoming uneasy and wary, which worried her even more. Everything's Alright, she told herself, taking a deep breath. When she focused on what her eyes could see, she realized Sans had moved. He was standing to her right, next to the door. No escape. Frisk forced herself to calm down. They were not going to fight. She was not going to fight. Sans was her friend, and she was not going to let her past ruin her future. She turned to him and smiled, tilting her head to the side as an unspoken question.

"it's a beautiful night outside. the air is fresh, and the night is young. why don't we go see the stars?" He replied, leaning against the door.

Frisk was now certain he was toying with her. She nonetheless accepted his proposition with a short nod, and as he opened the door and stepped aside, bowing a little, she went through the door frame, knowing well that he was not going to let her out of his sight.

They silently walked through New Home, admiring the beauty of the city, enlighten by what seemed like fireflies, from this distance. As they passed through Asgore's castle, Frisk noticed that the second throne, which was hidden by a (bâche) when she first came here, was now (débâché), although somewhat dusty. She thought of Toriel and Asgore. Could they ever love each other again? According to Gerson, their love used to be strong. Could the Phoenix be reborn from his ashes? She sure hoped so.

She could feel the fresh air of the night coming from outside, and her pace quickened. How long had it been since the last time she even saw the stars? Since the last time she felt that cold breeze that smelled of freedom and mystery? As she reached the point at which the barrier used to stand, she looked up.

There they were. Even better than in her memories. The tunnel that led to the Surface was short, and gave way to a small rocky (crête) in the mountain, from which the view was breathtaking. Far, far away, she could see lights. Cities. Humans. Her people. Or were they? She didn't know anymore.

She sat down on the ground, forgetting for a moment that she had company. The sound Sans made when he sat next to her brought her back to reality. She did not turn her head, choosing instead to keep looking at the sky.

"wanna talk about it?" He asked simply.

A long time passed by before Frisk finally found the strength to answer:  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sans. I didn't know, I didn't want to--"  
Her voice gave out on the last syllable, and she decided to stop, taking a deep breath before continuing.  
"I didn't know what I was getting into. I was… Curious? And then it was too late."

She turned to look at him. He was looking at the sky. Or was he? The lights he normally used to mimic eyes had disappeared, and it seemed for a moment like there was a bottomless abyss inside him. But when you stare for too long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Frisk panicked.  
"It wasn't me anymore! I didn't know it beforehand, but I was possessed."

The lights appeared again, and he looked at her questioningly, his smile fading just a little. Frisk decided to take the opportunity to let it all out. She needed to let someone know. She couldn't bear the entire weight of her secret by herself.

"Yes, I was possessed. By Chara. I don't know how, but their spirit somehow followed me through my journey. And when I… Well, it awakened them, and they took control of me."  
She was looking down at the ground at that point, and raised her head once again, her voice shaking a little:  
"I wanted to stop! I wanted to stop them! Trust me! But it was too late. And they kept going. I could not even Reset. I could only watch as they killed them all through me."  
She fought against the tears. She had to stay strong.

"But you. You were the one to stop them. No matter how hard they tried, they kept dying, over and over."  
She couldn't help but chuckle as she thought of the frustration Chara had felt while desperately trying to kill him.  
"There was nothing they could do. And as they gave up, I recovered control over myself, and finally Reset before it was too late. Do you understand, Sans? It was you who saved them all. It was you who saved me, who saved the world. Everyone praises me, but you are the real hero of this story."

She had lost the fight against her tears, and she turned to look away, her vision blurry.  
"And I'm the villain."

She stared at the ground, haunted by her sins. She wondered what Sans would do. What he would think of it all. Her question was answered when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head around. He had silently stood up, and was reaching a hand to help her do the same, and for once, his smile was not exaggerated.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, kid. as i said, i'm rootin' for ya. you might have made some mistakes, but so have i. so has everyone. the important part is what happened, not what could have been. everything's alright now, ok? so we gotta put this behind ourselves and move on. take my hand."

Frisk hesitated for a moment before looking at his palm. In it was a little pink balloon. She smiled, and, not wanting to ruin the joke, still put her hand in his, getting on her feet to the sound of the whoopie cushion. She laughed a bit too much than she probably should have, but the comical relief was too good.

"You were right! It's always funny."

His deep laugh joined hers, and they turned their backs to the rising sun, ready to move on to a brighter future.

Somewhere else, a child smiled maliciously, their red eyes going well with Frisk's red Soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my story!
> 
> Although I had originally planned for it to be longer than this, I ended up changing my mind. So I'll just leave it be, and move on to other things!


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